Pompano Beach Chamber Faces Elections Inquiry

POMPANO BEACH — The Florida Elections Commission is investigating an allegation that the city's Chamber of Commerce violated state election law.

The chamber is accused of failing to report $51,250 to the supervisor of elections after an annexation campaign last September, said John Gillespie, the lawyer handling the case for the chamber.

Using TV commercials and telemarketers, the chamber unsuccessfully tried to convince 29,000 residents of unincorporated Broward County to join Pompano Beach.

One of the chamber's rivals in the election, Ed Alvarez of the North County Civic Association, filed the complaint. Alvarez is urging the area to incorporate separately as a city.

Gillespie said, "The chamber simply made a mistake, an innocent mistake. There was a misunderstanding of the law."

Gillespie is working with Stuart Michelson, husband of County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman and a lawyer specializing in ethics and election laws.

Ginger Alvarez said her husband, Ed, filed the complaint and received confirmation the state was investigating.

"This is a case of the little guy representing what the people want," she said. "For them to have raised all this money and not reported it, it's outrageous."

State law requires public reports of all money raised and spent to influence an election. Failing to file reports could result in a fine of up to $1,000 per violation.

That means the chamber could face a fine of up to $1 million for the 1,000 cable television ads. However, state officials said such a huge fine is unlikely.

At stake in the September election were unincorporated areas including Tedder, Cresthaven and Leisureville. Residents had a choice of becoming part of Pompano Beach or continuing to be served by county government.

The Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce, which spent its money on telemarketers and billboards in addition to the 1,000 ads, tried to convince people to join Pompano Beach.

On the other side were county firefighters fearful of losing their jobs if Pompano Beach won. They raised about $5,000.

The North County Civic Association, which wants to start its own city, raised $935.

About 70 percent of voters opposed joining Pompano Beach.

In September, when the Sun-Sentinel asked Doug Everett, president of the chamber, how much money it had raised, he said initially, "two or three dollars."

"I'm not going to tell you what we spent on the campaign."

He said later that the chamber had raised $44,400.

On Tuesday, Everett declined to comment on the investigation, saying it had been passed along to the lawyers.

Russ Klenet, a lobbyist and political consultant who worked on the pro-annexation campaign for the chamber, said the money for the monthlong campaign was split between Dan Lewis, a former Miramar commissioner and owner of the political consulting firm of Strategic Technologies, and Stan Atkins, a Coral Gables political consultant.

Staff Writer Buddy Nevins contributed to this report.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriashsun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4557.